Abstract: Light pollution is a topic gaining importance and acceptance in environmental discourse. This concept provides a framework for categorizing the adverse effects of nighttime lighting, which advocacy groups and regulatory efforts are increasingly utilizing. However, the ethical significance of the concept has, thus far, received little critical reflection. In this paper, I analyze the moral implications of framing issues in nighttime lighting via the concept of light pollution. First, the moral and political importance of problem framing is discussed. Next, the origins and contemporary understandings of light pollution are presented. Finally, the normative limitations and practical ambiguities of light pollution are discussed, with the aim of strengthening the framework through which decisions about urban nighttime lighting strategies are increasingly approached.

Abstract: The adverse effects of artificial nighttime lighting, known as light pollution, are emerging as an important environmental issue. To address these effects, current scientific research focuses mainly on identifying what is bad or undesirable about certain types and uses of lighting at night. This paper adopts a value-sensitive approach, focusing instead on what is good about darkness at night. In doing so, it offers a first comprehensive analysis of the environmental value of darkness at night from within applied ethics. A design for values orientation is utilized to conceptualize, define, and categorize the ways in which value is derived from darkness. Nine values are identified and categorized via their type of good, temporal outlook, and spatial characteristics. Furthermore, these nine values are translated into prima facie moral obligations that should be incorporated into future design choices, policy-making, and innovations to nighttime lighting. Thus, the value of darkness is analyzed with the practical goal of informing future decision-making about urban nighttime lighting.

Abstract: Sodium street lights, dominated by long wavelengths of light, are being replaced by broad‐spectrum, white lights globally, in particular light‐emitting diodes (LEDs). These white lights typically require less energy to operate and are therefore considered “eco‐friendly”. However, little attention has been paid to the impacts white lights may have upon local wildlife populations.
We compared insect attraction to orange (high‐pressure sodium, HPS) and white (metal halide, MH and LED) street lights experimentally using portable street lights and custom‐made flight intercept traps.
Significantly more (greater than five times as many) insects were attracted to white MH street lights than white (4,250 K) LED and HPS lights. There was no statistical difference in the numbers of insects attracted to LED and HPS lights for most taxa caught. However, rarefaction shows a greater diversity of insects caught at LED than HPS lights.
Policy implications. With the current, large‐scale conversion to white light‐emitting diode (LED) lighting, our results give insight into how changes to street light technology may affect wildlife populations and communities. We recommend avoiding metal halide light installations as they attract many more insects than competing technologies. We highlight the need to tailor LED lighting to prevent disturbances across multiple insect taxa.

Lewis, A. L. (1999). Visual Performance as a Function of Spectral Power Distribution of Light Sources at Luminances Used for General Outdoor Lighting. Journal of the Illuminating Engineering Society, 28(1), 37–42.

Abstract: The Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Operational Linescane System (DMSP/OLS) stable night-time light (NTL) data showed great potential in urban extent mapping across a variety of scales with historical records dating back to 1990s. In order to advance this data, a systematic methodology review on NTL-based urban extent mapping was carried out, with emphases on four aspects including the saturation of luminosity, the blooming effect, the intercalibration of time series, and their temporal pattern adjustment. We think ancillary features (e.g. land surface conditions and socioeconomic activities) can help reveal more spatial details in urban core regions with high digital number (DN) values. In addition, dynamic optimal thresholds are needed to address issues of different exaggeration of NTL data in the large scale urban mapping. Then, we reviewed three key aspects (reference region, reference satellite/year, and calibration model) in the current intercalibration framework of NTL time series, and summarized major reference regions in literature that were used for intercalibration, which is critical to achieve a globally consistent series of NTL DN values over years. Moreover, adjustment of temporal pattern on intercalibrated NTL series is needed to trace the urban sprawl process, particularly in rapidly developing regions. In addition, we analysed those applications for urban extent mapping based on the new generation NTL data of Visible/Infrared Imager/Radiometer Suite. Finally, we prospected the challenges and opportunities including the improvement of temporally inconsistent NTL series, mitigation of spatial heterogeneity of blooming effect in NTL, and synthesis of different NTL satellites, in global urban extent mapping.